Eagles capitalize on Rams turnover to take early lead
🏈 Eagles 3, Rams 0 — 5:13 left in the first quarter
Jake Elliott kicked a 21-yard field goal as the Eagles capitalized on a Rams turnover.
The notoriously slow starting Rams came out fast, but running back Kyren Williams lost a fumble inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line with 12 minutes left in the first quarter.
The Eagles moved down the field on Jalen Hurt passes to receiver A.J. Brown and runs by Saquon Barkley.
The Eagles had first and goal at the eight yard line, but the Rams limited Barkley and Hursts to two-yard gains, and Hurts’ shovel pass to tight end Dallas Goedert gained only two yards, bringing on Elliott for the field goal.
Rams to honor ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ Super Bowl team at halftime
The Rams, Super Bowl champions in the 2021-22 season, can’t look past the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.
But fans at SoFi Stadium will get a look back at the franchise’s 1999-2000 Super Bowl championship team when the Rams played in St. Louis.
More than 20 members of that Rams team, which featured an offense dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf” are scheduled to attend a halftime ceremony honoring the team that defeated the Tennessee Titans to win Super Bowl XXXIV.
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who is part of the Westwood One radio broadcast for the game, Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, Hall of Fame receiver Isaac Bruce and Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace will be among the attendees.
Humble beginnings give Rams’ young front a rush: ‘We’re used to getting out of the mud’
The Rams’ young pass rushers are showing up big, and it’s no small coincidence.
Edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young and linemen Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner traveled different paths to the NFL but have one thing in common. All started their college careers as overlooked prospects, and they attended small schools before transferring to Power Five programs and catching the attention of Rams scouts and general manager Les Snead.
Puka Nacua so focused, he doesn’t care what division Rams are in
Rams receiver Puka Nacua demonstrated his focus in last Sunday’s victory over the New England Patriots, diving for a sensational touchdown catch.
Nacua, a second-year pro, is so locked in on performing on the field, he said this week that he was not aware until recently what division the Rams compete in.
“Somebody told me we’re in the NFC West so that’s good to know, I guess,” he said. “Yeah, one day at a time is my mentality.”
Coach Sean McVay playfully questioned the veracity of Nacua’s claim about his divisional knowledge but then embraced it.
“Be like Puka,” McVay said. “Just focus on what you can control and... hey, if that’s the case, I love him unconditionally. You know what though? There is a beauty in that in all seriousness.
“Let’s just say that’s the case. I know this, that guy is going to show up when we play the Niners, the Cardinals, and the Seahawks, and shoot, if he thinks that we’re in the same division as the Eagles, then let’s show up against them too.”
Against the Patriots, Nacua caught seven passes for 123 yards, including his spectacular 12-yard touchdown that required him to go horizontally airborne.
“I was thinking I definitely have the confidence in my ability to run fast, but I don’t think I’m that fast,” he said when asked what went through his mind when quarterback Matthew Stafford delivered the pass. “That’s why I looked at the ball and I was like, ‘All right, then here we go.’
“It was kind of that quick moment of I’m going to be close, but it’s going to take every ounce of my body to get there. It definitely did.”
Rams vs. Eagles inactives for Sunday night
Here are the players who will not be playing for the Rams on Sunday night:
Rams inactives: QB Stetson Bennett, CB Charles Woods, RB Cody Schrader, OLB Brennan Jackson, OL Dylan McMahon, OL Rob Havenstein, DL Desjuan Johnson
And here are the Eagles’ inactives:
How becoming a dad helped convince Sean McVay to remain Rams head coach
After the Rams hired Sean McVay in 2017, general manager Les Snead was eager to see the 30-year-old’s coaching process at work.
During McVay’s first seven seasons, Snead often observed McVay in the coach’s office, busily scheming plays. Reading motivational books. Meeting with coaches, players and team executives.
So Snead was shocked last August when he witnessed something totally unexpected: McVay making faces and cooing baby talk on a video call.
“Of all the things I thought I would see Sean McVay do,” Snead said, “that was not on the list.”
Rams expect to see a good ‘Brotherly Shove’ from Eagles tonight
The Tush Push. The Brotherly Shove.
By whatever name, the Philadelphia Eagles’ short-yardage play — and their ability to consistently execute it effectively — has become synonymous with coach Nick Sirianni’s team.
The Rams fully expect to encounter the play on Sunday night when they play the Eagles at SoFi Stadium.
Even with center Jason Kelce now retired, the Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts are rarely foiled when they run the play.
“Everybody tries to run it, but they do it at a little bit different clip,” Rams coach Sean McVay said, “Jalen has a great feel for being able to kind of ride that wave, if you will. There are a lot of challenges.”
The NFL modified a rule this season that now requires that players line up at least one yard behind the quarterback and wait until the ball is snapped before attempting to push the quarterback across the line of scrimmage.
“It’s an extremely hard play to stop and it’s a very efficient play for them,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “You try to do it in walkthroughs and simulate it the best you can and hopefully come up with a good plan to stop it.”
Stopping Saquon Barkley among the Rams’ top priorities
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has produced innumerable highlights this season, none more confounding than his jump backwards over a Jacksonville Jaguars would-be tackler on Nov. 3.
On Sunday night, the Rams get a close up look at Barkley when the Eagles visit SoFi Stadium.
The Rams coaching staff has prepared for Barkley before, but that was when the seventh-year pro toiled for the New York Giants.
Barkley was injured or not active for games against the Rams in 2020 and 2021. He rushed for 39 yards in 12 plays and caught three passes for 19 yards in a 26-25 defeat by the Rams last season.
But Barkley with the Eagles, who have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, is another story.
Barkley is averaging 113.7 yards rushing per game. He has run for eight touchdowns and caught two touchdown passes.
“He’s probably one of the best, if not the best, open-field runners in the league right now,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “If you’re undisciplined at all, he can go for 80 [yards] at any point.”
Safety Kamren Curl has an eagle eye on defending Rams’ next opponent
Before he signed with the Rams last March, safety Kamren Curl played four seasons for the Washington Commanders in the NFC East.
That resumé makes him something of a resident expert on the Philadelphia Eagles, and star running back Saquon Barkley, who played six seasons for the New York Giants.
“I’m a little familiar with them,” Curl said Wednesday.
Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles: How to watch, prediction and betting odds
The Rams’ victory over the New England Patriots last Sunday put them back at .500 and kept alive their playoff chances.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for four touchdowns for the second time in four games. The 16th-year pro and coach Sean McVay, the Rams’ play-caller, must be at the top of their games against an Eagles defense coordinated by Vic Fangio, who flummoxed the Rams in 2018 when he ran the Chicago Bears defense.
“He’s arguably the best of this generation,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said, adding, “He’s about as structured as they come in terms of tendencies and percentages. You just can’t pop him on anything. He knows that and we know that.”